


A Guide on How to Write Stand By Me Mary Sues

by Izout



Category: Stand By Me (1986)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-21
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-20 21:10:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izout/pseuds/Izout
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All you need to know for creating your own original character.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mines, don't sue.

A/N: Even though it was touch-on in A Guide on How to Write Stand By Me Fanfiction, I figure it deserves its own parody fic because, let's face it, this fandom is crawling with these… things. I seek not to offend, just to amuse.

* * *

It is natural that once a book, TV show, video game, or movie starts to become popular, fanfiction will be written about it in a matter of minutes by the fandom. However, there are those who while writing these fanfictions, may want to add their own character(s) to the franchise settings. These characters tend to be called OC(s), which means Original Character(s), or OFC(s) which means Original Fan Character(s). Then there are characters which are called Mary Sue(s). If you wish to write a Stand By Me fanfic with a Mary Sue, follow these guidelines to make it the best character you can!

**Step 1 – Choosing your premise**

Now, now, readers, let's not be hasty. There is no point in creating your Mary Sue fic without choosing your premise for her first.

 **New Kid in Town**  – A favorite among many. The new kid is usually a girl who moves to Castle Rock because…

A) She is generally a city girl moving to a small town.

B) She is a girl who moves around a lot.

C) It's a girl's first move to another town.

D) It's a girl staying with some family in Castle Rock for the summer.

E) It's a girl being sent to live with some family in Castle Rock.

 **The Fifth Member of the Boys' Gang**  – There were no girls in the gang, so why not add one? How would adding a girl affect the group's dynamic? (Hint: it won't). The fifth member is usually….

A) The new kid in town (See above).

B) A childhood friend of the boys who was  _always_  in the gang.

C) A childhood friend who had moved away prior to the events of the movie and is now moving back.

D) An accidental member; runs into the gang and has no choice but to join them.

 **Relative of a Canon Character**  – Her family connections allows her easier access to the boys' gang in question, since all friends automatically like and trust each other's siblings. The relative will be….

A) Ace's sister.

B) Chris' and Eyeball's sister (Nope. No, not one of their sisters from the novella).

C) Vern's and Billy's sister.

D) Vern's and Billy's cousin (No, not the one with the hyboid gland).

E) Gordie's sister.

F) Gordie's cousin.

G) Chris' and Eyeball's cousin.

H) One of the other Cobras' sister.

 **Girl from the Real World**  – Just like it says, a girl from the real world gets transported into the world of  _Stand By Me._

 **A Girl from the View**  – She's from Castle View, the rich side of town, and hangs out with the boys, despite her friends and her better judgment.

**S** **tep 2 – Backstory**

A character is nothing without their backstory as it gives them a background and ground work for their story. Mary Sue's backstory will either involve…

A) Super controlling parents that she really doesn't like.

B) Easy going parents that she feels don't care enough.

C) Neglectful parents who ignore her because a) they are too busy with their work lives or b) prefer her sibling(s) over her.

D) Struggling single Mother/Father who is single because their spouse a) died, b) got divorced, or c) walked out on them.

E) Alcoholic parent(s), who also maybe beats her.

F) Dead parents.

Note: There is no way your Mary Sue can come from a well, stable, and loving family. To be safe, try some combination of dead, abusive, or villainous.

**Step 3 – Romance and Relationships**

Come on, how many fics have you read that don't attempt it in some way or another? At the very least there will be a mention (And as we all know, Stand By Me was really a romantic drama; Stephen King and Rob Reiner just forgot that aspect) and in this section we give you a very brief overview of the most common romances and your Mary Sue's relationship with the boys depending on which one you ship your character with.

 **Chris/Mary Sue**  – The ultimate favorite (And if we're being honest, most Mary Sue fics with Chris are just the author lusting after 15 year old River Phoenix which, no, is  _not_  creepy or vaguely pedophilic in any way). She will be Chris' best friend (Moreso than Gordie!), or she will be a girl from the View who, like Chris, is also tired of the way people stereotype her because of her background, or she will be the New Girl who forms a special/unique friendship with Chris. But no matter which way you spin it, she will be the girl who will be the closest to Chris and, thanks to her, will save him from his inner torment he suffers from because of his last name, eventually bringing their kindred troubled souls closer together and falling in love.

 **Teddy/Mary Sue**  – The second favorite. She and Teddy will be opposite attract; She may even be repulse/annoyed by him at first, but eventually will grow to like him and eventually fall in love.

 **Gordie/Mary Sye**  – Not as popular as the above two, Gordie will be good friends with your Mary Sue (Though, not  _as_  good as with Chris). He may even suspect/know your Mary Sue has a crush on Chris, and will totally be cool with it and play the role of Best Friend and (Bland) Supportive Man: offering your heroine advice and giving her heart-to-heart talks about her feeling. It may even be possible that Gordie has a crush on your Mary Sue.

 **Vern/Mary Sue**  – The weakest of your Mary Sue's relationship with the boys; the two will get along well for the most part, but aren't that close. And that's okay, because why spend time and effort creating and developing a relationship with a supporting character, and there's no denying that Vern will be doom into being a supporting character in your Mary Sue fic… if he's even featured at all (And yes, there are fics that do that).

**Step 4 – Different types of Mary Sues**

Just like various plants, animals, and human beings, there are a variety of different character types you can do. They are…

A) New Girl Mary Sue – She's the new girl on the scene.

B) Best Friend Mary Sue – longtime best friend of one of the boys/all of the boys (who may or may not have gone on the Ray Brower trip with them).

C) Tomboy Mary Sue – The author will think she's being edgy and badass by having her character being a Not So Typical girl (Because God forbid the boys ever hang out with a "normal" girl). She will be treated like she's one of the guys, but may deep down, would like them to acknowledge that yes she is a girl. She will have a stupid - I mean  _creative_  nickname. Also, the author will have her acting in a way that she probably think makes her character look cool, but actually makes her annoying.

D) Rich Girl Mary Sue – She is a girl from Castle View.

E) Relative of One of the Canon Characters Mary Sue – See Step 1.

F) Beard Mary Sue – Mostly seen in Gordie/Chris Slash, this character will either be used as a Beard for one of the boys (Usually Chris), or date Gordie, making Chris jealous for reasons he doesn't understand, and being the catalyst into helping him discover his true feelings.

**Step 5 – Choosing your Plot**

We say  _choosing_  because technically no imagination is required at all. Below is a list compiled of a number of successful/favored plots that have proven themselves time and time again. (The majority work for all pairings.)

New Kid in Town – A girl moves to Castle Rock expecting to be bored out of her mind, only to discover that she will have the best time of her life.

The Ray Brower Trip – Retelling of the movie, but with a girl in the gang this time. Copy large chunks of the movie (word-by-word, scene-by-scene, dialogue-by-dialogue), gloss over a few scenes, expand on a few others, add some new pieces of dialogue, and voila!

Junior High/High School – Unfortunately, there are not enough ties in the actual canon to stop the author from aging up the characters, so lo and behold, welcome to Castle Rock Junior High/Castle Rock High School! There are dances and cliques and evil teachers and an army of OCs! These fics tend to be continuations of the movie, even showing the drifting apart of Teddy and Vern from the gang.

Transported into the Stand By Me Universe – Girl somehow gets transported into the world of Stand By Me and has adventures with the boys.

**S** **tep 6 – The Villain**

Every story needs some kind of villain or antagonist. We all know Snow White and the Prince are going to get together in the end, but it would be boring without letting the Evil Queen throw in a few punches. Your villain can be…

A) Mr. Chambers – Though, rather indirectly. Mr. Chambers can be good for abusing Chris and/or working him to the bone, allowing your Mary Sue to comfort him and supply some angst.

B) Ace Merrill – Well, he  _is_  technically the villain of the movie. It can be through Ace that your Mary Sue meets the boys or, if your Mary Sue is in a relationship with Chris, Ace can attempt to rape her.

C) The Bitch – A character of your own creation; she is our heroine's competition: evil, beautiful and sexy. She will be blonde (Note, all blonde girls are evil bitches, brainless bimbos, or massive sluts. Yes, I'm talking to YOU! You're all uniform!) and will most likely be from Castle View. She will look down on your heroine and look down on her for hanging out with the boys (specifically Chris).

**Step 7 – Incidents**

When writing your story, it comes a time where you finally reach the middle of your story. This is the part when the plot can slow down to a crawl because you either haven't planned your fic out all the way through, or you are slowly, slowly, building up to your climax. If this troubles you, throw in some incidents here and there. Depending on how you size them, these incidents can be generic events to fill out the story or sub-plots to give your readers something to look forward to. These incidents can be…

A) A Big Misunderstanding – Usually with whichever boy you pair up your Mary Sue with. Because both of these characters are absolutely perfect together, this must be a mistake for which neither is to blame, and would easily be solved if the two characters would just talk to each other.

B) Birthday Chapter – It's one of the character's B-Day. Time to go looking for some presents.

C) Christmas Chapter – Similar to B.

D) Foreshadowing – If you are planning a larger incident for later in the story, it may be wise to start dropping hints. Good ways to do this is by having characters engage in mysterious dislogue, or if you use descriptions, to mention a suspicious moment. If it involves your character's backstory, have a flashback showing bits and pieces of it before revealing the big picture.

E) The School Dance – There's a dance coming up, better start looking for a date.

F) The Prom – See E.

G) Love Triangle – Introduce another love interest. It can be a) Chris/Mary Sue/Gordie, b) Chris/Mary Sue/Teddy, or c) Chris/Mary Sue/OC. You could try a Love Square with Chris/Mary Sue/Teddy/Gordie, or even a Love Pentagon with Chris/Mary Sue/Teddy/Gordie/Vern, but let's be honest, we all know there's no way Vern is going to end up with the girl.

H) Another trip – Similar to the Ray Brower one, the cast go on another adventure.

I) Proposal – At some point, since this is true love, the boy of your choice should pop the question to the Mary Sue, and of course be accepted with tears of joy.

J) A New Character – A new character is added to the mix to liven things up and add more drama to the story.

K) The Wedding – a continuation of I.

L) Big Twist – This usually manifests as a major character revelation, such as a part of your Mary Sue's backstory suddenly coming to light. The revelation will change how the rest of the characters see your Mary Sue, at least in theory. Feel free to move past the shock and awe as soon as you grow bored of it.

M) Graduation – Senior year has ended and the characters graduate from high school.

N) The College Years – A continuation of M.

O) The First Time - After dancing around the idea, or it being a spur-of-the-moment type thing, the boy of your choice and Mary Sue make sweet, sweet love for the first time (Note: there is usually never any mention of them using protection, so it's by some miracle neither get an STD or have a Bun in the Oven).

**Step 8 – Ties to Canon**

At one point or another while writing your story, you must have furrowed your brow thinking, "This feels  _nothing_  like Stand By Me!" and you are correct. If this bothers you, be aware that there is an easy way to take care of it. So, how do you maintain your ties to the establish canon that you strayed sooooooo far away from that the only thing your fic and canon have in common is sharing the main characters' names and the town's name? Why, you mention it. Constantly. Making references to the movie is a cheap and easy way to tie your fic with the establish canon. Have the character reminisce about the Ray Brower trip, have the characters bring it up on occasion (Because it's not like their Ray Brower trip wasn't emotionally horrifying or almost got them killed at various points). Another way is to lift dialogue or jokes from the movie and place them into a new setting and context ("I don't shut up. I grow up and when I look at you, I throw up" appears to be a fan favorite). Afterwards, then immediately and abruptly switch back to your universe, to complete the illusion that your story meshes with the canon **.**

**Thank you for reading and good luck on your future Mary Sue Stand By Me fics!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Tips on How to Improve**

However, if you are worried about messing up your Mary Sue fic, here are some tips to point out what went wrong in your story and how to improve them. Also which Sue clichés to avoid.

The Name

As a general rule, Mary Sues are never given a name that would be reasonable for the time frame that Stand By Me exists in. Either because it is too modern sounding, inaccurate to the time period, too trendy, or something no sane parent would name their kid back then. While Stand By Me may takes place in the 1950s, if you count the boys' ages backward by years, you would see that they were born in the 1940s. There are websites out there that will tell you what the popular baby girl names were back then in the 40s, use them. Sure, you don't see too many people named Phyllis around anymore, but it's a more believable name then Meadow or Ocean or Riley. Regardless, the name is one of the biggest parts of a Sue.

The Storyline

Girl moves to Castle Rock and instantly becomes friends with the boys. It's a cliché storyline that's been done to death in almost every fandom. Also, just copying the movie is just lazy. Think outside the box.

Her Family and Past

Not everyone's past has to be terribly tragic and heartbreaking. A lot of people can have a relatively normal childhood until they get older and start becoming more aware of the world around them. Likewise, things like having abusive parents are a pretty heavy subject. Being abused, especially by someone who is supposed to be trusted, leaves a person pretty messed up and it is not something that can fix by true love. It's going to have some effect on them for life.

Meeting the Gang

Girl takes a walk around Castle Rock, ends up bumping into either one of the boys or the whole gang, and invites her to the tree house. An alternative is Girl takes a walk around Castle Rock, bumps into the Cobras, and ends up having one of the boys or the whole gang coming to her rescue and later brings her to the tree house.

First off, yes Castle Rock is suppose to be a small town, but you are really pushing coincidence by having the boys be one of the first people she meets. Second, I doubt any of the boys (say Chris) would be overly friendly to someone they just met and introduce them to all their friends just because he bumped into her. As nice a kid as Chris is, he'd probably just help the girl up, apologize for bumping into her, and be on his way. Third, why would the boys invite/bring a complete and total stranger to their tree house? Why would she even agree to go along with them? She doesn't know these people. For all she knows, they could be muggers or gang rapists or something. Yes,  _we_  know they aren't like that, but from her POV she doesn't. And because they seem nice isn't a good reason either; a lot of girls thought Ted Bundy seem nice and look what happen to them (not comparing the boys to Bundy, but you get the point I'm making).

Likewise, I doubt the boys would be perfectly cool with some girl randomly showing up at their tree house while they're up there or being inside by the time they show up.

Out of Character

Mary Sue stories are not about the characters in Stand By Me; they are about how those characters fall in love with an author stand in. As such, these characters will be bended to the whim of the girl whose pants they're supposed to want to get in. Sometimes every character will be changed for the story or flanderized (IE, taking an aspect of the character and blowing it out of proportion). Say hello to Perfect!Chris and Dumbasasackofhammers!Vern and Kindlovingolderbrothers!Eyeball and Billy.

Cause and Effect

If you are going through the trouble of adding a new character to the boys' gang, make it interesting. Don't cheat by having your Mary Sue describe her relationships with the boys in one big info dump or by doing a time skip (having them already being bestest best buddies and showing a flashback to how they all met). It's usually not easy being the new incomer to an already establish group of friends; there's going to be some awkwardness or bits of history that you are going to miss.

An interesting idea to do is to do an "Arc" where your character has some one-on-one time with boys in Focus Episode style chapters. Yes, not a lot of people have the time, skill, or patience to try and develop relationships with each of the characters, but it makes it more worthwhile to see how your character gets a chance to get to know each boy personally.

Telling Instead of Showing

One of the first things they say to you in creative writing courses is show don't tell. The reason they do this is because it really improves you writing. Imagery makes a story more interesting to read. If you have to have one character talk about how smart, tragic, sweet another character is, chances are your character hasn't demonstrated any of these qualities.

Keeping the Time Period in Mind

If you are going to make pop culture reference, know what TV shows, movies, songs, and celebrities were popular at the time. If you are going to use slang, research what slang was used back then. Know what type of clothes people wore back then.

Love at First Sight

Immediately after seeing the Sue one of the boys (or all of them, if the author is feeling especially frisky) will be consumed with desire for her. This is obviously because they are true soul mates, not because Stand By Me happens to be a total sausage fest, plus the fact that they're little boys on the cups of teenagerhood. Seriously kids, it's not true love, so keep it in your pants.

Pair the Spares

Usually once the the Mary Sue and the boy of her choice are officially together, the author will give the Sue her own group of friends that are clearly set up to be love interests for the other boys. Usually they'll be a perfect match. Like, because Teddy a crazy and spontaneous guy, his love interest will be crazy and spontaneous too, only without any of Teddy's charm. Or, because Gordie and shy and nerdy, his love interest will also be shy and nerdy. Or they'll be their complete opposites, like because everybody rude to Vern, his love interest will be the only person who treats him with any kind of respect. Not everybody needs to be paired up.

Cheap Plot Device

There are literally only a handful of things that ever happen in Sue fics, which will be gone over in the next chapter. What makes these things cheap plot devices is the fact that they serve no other purpose besides getting the Sue with her boy of choice. Bad things never have any ramifications past two chapters after it occurs. Avoid these.

Remember Who the Main Characters Are

As stated above in Out of Character, Mary Sue stories are not about the characters in Stand By Me; they are about how those characters fall in love with an author stand in. One would assume that if one wants to read Stand By Me fanfiction, it's because they love and want to read about the main characters, not some OC that they never heard of before and don't care about. Yes, people are free to write whatever they want, but at the same time, the boys are interesting characters in their own right and don't deserve to be shoved into the background for someone who, half the time, has no point being there.

First Person Point of View

Most Sue fics are written in first person point of view. This is because most Mary Sues are really just an idealized version of the author, otherwise known as self-insertion. The thing that matters most when picking a style of narration is your motives behind it. Only you know if you're writing it because it's most effective, or if you just really want to be in the position you're writing from. Likewise, don't switch POVs around in the story; it makes it confusing. If you really want to get everyone thoughts, just write in Third person.

**Just follow these tips and you will be fine. :)**


End file.
